Parental Awareness of the National Support Policy for Outpatient Clinic Newborn Hearing Screening in South Korea

Abstract

Background and Objectives Newborn hearing screening (NHS) is recommended for babies before reaching the age of one month; however, the awareness of the policy in parents is reported to be insufficient in South Korea. The understanding that NHS is covered by the national insurance is also low possibly due to the lack of both advertisement and national policies for hearing loss. In this study, parental awareness of NHS and related national support policies were investigated by surveying parents who visited the Otolaryngology clinic for NHS for their children.Subjects and Method Parental awareness was evaluated by a survey of 99 parents for the suitable period for NHS and hearing evaluation for their children. Also, we investigated the awareness of national support policies for NHS and hearing aids, along with other opinions regarding the national support system.Results The recommended initial NHS timing was acknowledged by 84.7% of the parents; however, the recommended confirmatory hearing test timing was recognized only by 17.2%. The awareness of national support policies for hearing aids, support policies for inpatient and outpatient NHS was noted in 37.4%, 46.5%, and 37.4%, respectively. The necessity for national guidance and a national management system for neonatal hearing loss was supported by 92.9% and 97% of the parents, respectively.Conclusion Most parents visiting the Otolaryngology clinic were unaware of the time point for the confirmatory hearing test and of the national support policies for infantile hearing loss. A national infantile hearing management system is required to meet the 1-3-6 guidelines for infantile hearing loss.